On Jan 9, Gasgoo learned that Leapmotor founder Zhu Jiangming, in a recent interview with People's Daily, weighed in on China's EV price war. "Carmakers must never sell cars at a loss; we have to keep a gross margin — that's something we've always insisted on. We should stick to market-based mechanisms, build advantages through open competition, make products better, improve quality and drive down costs, so the industry and consumers can both benefit."
He also argued that over the next five years, China's new-energy vehicle industry will keep accelerating, with market share continuing to climb — and not slowly. "I expect NEVs to take 80% to 90% of China's auto sales in the next three to five years. That's a very large market. Globally, thanks to their cost efficiency, user experience and intelligent features, NEVs will gradually penetrate many countries, with broad growth prospects."
Asked about the traffic effect of high-profile bosses, Zhu said: "For a company, the most important thing is to get the product right. Only when the product is good does promotion help. First and foremost, focus on technology and the product."
Image credit: Leapmotor
On the evening of Jan 5, Leapmotor disclosed that it had recently opened 85 new stores. As of Jan 4, 2026, its nationwide footprint topped 1,000 locations, reaching 1,068, building a sales and service network with broad coverage and coordinated functions. The buildout not only builds on its 2025 market performance, but is also a key move to pursue its 2026 target of 1 million sales and to deliver on its new-decade strategy of moving "from follower to leader."
